A wide variety of applications are now available for various computing platforms. Many of these applications comprise licensed software. In the past, it was not very common for one user to share an execution platform with another user. However, as the size of an execution platform has been reduced with advances in technology, it is now very common for users to share the hardware platform that is used to execute a particular application. In this sense, when an application is installed on a particular hardware platform—for example, a notebook computer, a personal organizer or a media access device—that application can be used by the borrowing user.
Not only can a borrowing user use an application that is installed on an execution platform that the user has borrowed, the borrowing user can in many instances access digital content by using a particular application that is also installed on a borrowed hardware platform. As such, where the borrowing user has borrowed, for example, a media access device, the borrowing user can enjoy content that is owned or licensed to the user that actually owns the execution platform. Such access is becoming more and more prevalent. The concern is that a borrowing user is able to use applications or enjoy content that has been licensed to a different user, i.e. the user that loaned the execution platform to the borrowing user.
There are many ways which have already been devised for identifying a particular user before granting access to an application or to some form of digital content. The ubiquitous password is often used to identify a particular user. The problem with using a password is that the owner of the execution platform can simply provide the password to the borrowing user. Again, the borrowing user is allowed to use an application or to enjoy content that is rightfully licensed to the owner of the execution platform. Another technique for identifying a current user relies on some form of token. A token can include such items as a smart card, a card with a magnetic stripe, or a dongle that can be communicatively associated with the execution platform in order to identify a particular user. It should be appreciated that a dongle or any other token is typically associated with a valid access license and is not necessarily associated with a user. Again, a borrowing user can simply obtain the token from the owner of the execution platform.
More sophisticated means for identifying a current user rely on biometrics. The biometrics refers to the mechanics of identifying a physical characteristic for a particular user. For example, a fingerprint, a retinal pattern, vocal or facial characteristics have all been used to identify a current user. These techniques are more effective in identifying a current user because a current user simply cannot loan his personal biometrics signatures to a borrowing user. The drawback with these biometrics techniques is that they often require specialized hardware and are costly to implement.